The Squeegette

1. The Squeegette Hannah F 13 Virginia

2. Think it What is the Problem: Dirty Car Windows. • Dirty car windows cause fatal car accidents every day. • Glare from dirty car windows increases accidents by approximately 200%. • If dirty windshields do not get fixed today, our lives might be in danger. How to Solve the Problem • A portable, affordable squeegee is the answer to the problem of dirty windows.

3. Explore it • List of Possible Solutions to Solve the Problem • Bucket of water and sponge in every car • Stopping at a gas station every day • Water and paper towels • Using your shirt sleeve or • A portable, affordable squeegee

4. Explore it Past Solutions: Solving the Problem • Windshield wipers (hard to refill) • Window scraper (damages windows) • Squeegee and solution at gas station (go gas station all the time) Improving on past solutions • Combining the squeegee and squeeze bottle to make an affordable, portable squeegee • Easy to refill • Won’t damage windows • Don’t need to go to the gas station all the time

5. Sketch it • This is a image of the basic idea of my invention, the portable squeegee.

6. Create it Collect Your Materials: Building the Squeegette • Squeegee • Cleaning solution • Plastic glue • Squeeze bottle • Spray cap Assemble the Prototype • Apply glue on the squeegee rubber • Gently push rubber onto squeeze bottle(MUST BE STRAIGHT UP! ) • Let dry • Attach Chamois cloth to portable squeegee • Fill portable squeegee with cleaning solution

7. Create it! Materials

8. Try it Test the Prototype • Fill portable squeegee with cleaning solution • Use parents’ cars in driveway • Cover windshields with dirt and dust • Spray cleaning solution onto dirty window • Use rubber squeegee end of bottle to wipe cleaning solution off • Dry excess off with chamois cloth • Observe ways to improve the prototype Results of Tests With the squeeze bottle and the Elmer’s glue, the dirt and the dust did not wash off very easily because the squeegee fell off. When driving to a store, the squeeze bottle was too big to put anywhere.

9. Tweak it Suggestions From Friends and Family • Suggestion 1: “Great idea. Try to make it compact and affordable. I would often use this invention in my everyday life because I do not live near a gas station.” • Suggestion 2: “I suggest you make it small enough to fit inside a glove compartment. Also make sure it does not leak. • Suggestion 3: “ I want you to make it so that you can use it inside of the car and outside of the car. My family and I have a lot of fingerprints inside of the car which causes glare.”

10. Tweak it Adjusting My Prototype • Replace bottle with flexible water bottle • Add velcro to the back of the flexible water bottle as handle • Use actual windshield wipers

11. Tweak it: Stage 2

12. Tweak it: Stage 3

13. Tweak it: Stage 4

14. Sell it! Naming the Portable Squeegee • The invention is named the “Squeegette” • Suffix “ette” means “small one” or “midget” • The Squeegette is both small and portable, so therefore I named it the “Squeegette”. Reasons to Buy the Squeegette • Reduces Glare • Saves Lives • Portable • Affordable • Green

15. Thank you for watching! 